Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sandakan, Sabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandakan, Sabah: $968 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sandakan, Sabah
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Sandakan, Sabah Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Sandakan, Sabah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Sandakan, Sabah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ubud, Bali and in Sandakan, Sabah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $968 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Sandakan, Sabah $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,470 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Sandakan, Sabah $1,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,971 in Sandakan, Sabah.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Sandakan, Sabah $1,971

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 39% more expensive than in Sandakan, Sabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$3.65 MYR 14.86

-9.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$19.26 MYR 78.5

85.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$4.56 MYR 18.57

21.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.07 MYR 12.53

-11.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.73 MYR 2.97

132.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.43 MYR 1.75

76.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$4.24 MYR 17.29

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$3.93 MYR 16.01

11.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.99 MYR 8.11

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.18 MYR 4.80

93.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.49 MYR 6.08

-20.13%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.24 MYR 9.13

-8.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$11.79 MYR 48.06

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$4.00 MYR 16.31

-1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$9.55 MYR 38.90

27.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.84 MYR 11.55

28.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.63 MYR 6.63

-6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.53 MYR 10.30

-11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.56 MYR 6.37

26.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.39 MYR 5.66

33.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.38 MYR 5.63

75.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.27 MYR 5.15

-22.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.48 MYR 1.94

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.04 MYR 16.47

-45.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$21.89 MYR 89.2

1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$3.12 MYR 12.73

-27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$4.29 MYR 17.46

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-68.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$10.67 MYR 43.47

-26.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.32 MYR 5.39

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.63 MYR 2.58

-31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$8.09 MYR 32.98

-33.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.82 MYR 3.32

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$46.8K MYR 190.5K

-49.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$39.7K MYR 161.6K

-19.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$48.86 MYR 199

61.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$10.09 MYR 41.11

-36.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$28.65 MYR 117

-35.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$36.98 MYR 151

33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$7.38 MYR 30.07

139.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-15.94%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$491 Rp 8.9M

$242 MYR 987

102.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$7,062 MYR 28.8K

-19.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$63.1 MYR 257

-29.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$30.35 MYR 124

15.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$91.5 MYR 373

-12.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$77.2 MYR 315

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$379 MYR 1,545

196.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$326 MYR 1,327

106.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$631 MYR 2,569

465.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$589 MYR 2,399

192.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,010 MYR 8,190

35.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,149 MYR 4,682

98.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,210 MYR 4,931

-86.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.06

239.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandakan, Sabah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$326 33.6% 51.5% $346

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Sandakan, Sabah

$258 26.7% 10.5% $30

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$113 11.7% 5.4% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Sandakan, Sabah

$118 12.2% 9.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Sandakan, Sabah

$88 9.1% 15.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Sandakan, Sabah

$47 4.9% 18.8% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Sandakan, Sabah

$18 1.9% 60.3% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandakan, Sabah pays about 7.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $19 in Sandakan, Sabah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $258 per month, with Sandakan, Sabah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Sandakan, Sabah

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

439,050

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sandakan, Sabah 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sandakan, Sabah

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ubud, Bali vs Sandakan, Sabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $968 in Sandakan, Sabah, so Sandakan, Sabah is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $379 in Sandakan, Sabah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 27% less than in Sandakan, Sabah. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $242 in Sandakan, Sabah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $968 in Sandakan, Sabah versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sandakan, Sabah but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Sandakan, Sabah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sandakan, Sabah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.